Students plan Nürburgring record-breaker

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This is a car with a Plan. It’s called the IM01, and it’s being developed by students from the Technical University of Eindhoven and the Fontys University of Applied Sciences for the ‘InMotion’ motorsport firm.

The Plan? First, to smash Stefan Bellof’s Nürburgring Nordschleife record of 6m 11.13s, and second, to compete at the 2017 Le Mans 24hrs as a ‘Garage 56’ experimental car. No biggie, then.

So where most students’ ambition is to make it into that 9am Critical Theory seminar for once while nursing a hangover from the seventh circle of hell, these plucky contenders are looking to build a hybrid prototype packed with racing tech for the most demanding race of them all. Maybe they don’t have student union bars in Holland.

The IM01 will feature four electric motors - one on each wheel - along with a range-extender petrol engine, here taking the form of a rotary unit. Rotary units, as we know from the old Mazda RX-7 and RX-8, are cool.

Then there’s that mad body with more downforce than you can shake an Adrian Newey at. We’re told it’ll run some form of blown diffuser - like those banned from F1 - along with a jet-fighter inspired cockpit for proper Maverick-esque japery.

These are just the first images, mind, so power and performance figures haven’t been revealed. We understand the car will be ready by the end of next year, so we’ll keep you updated.

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